Minnesota!

[holm26]

we should have chicks running around perty soon

 

[Cluckies]

Oh wow, that would be something if it was Bert!

 

[rainin22]

well so far we have a small coop I spent almost two days painting perfectly for absolutely no sane reason since the fiance did say that it's just a coop lol but I don't think a turkey would fit in there haha so my chicks that are a few weeks old seem absolutely healthy and were no vaccinated for mereks. This lady I talked to on the phone who vaccinates all her birds seems very passionate and nice, but I did find some on fb saying the chicks they got were sick and died and not to buy from her. My feeling on the phone is though that she does do everything she can to have healthy bird. Do you think it would be risky for me to get a few chicks from her in the next couple weeks and have them with my current chicks?

 

[Rhetts]

We went to L&M tonight to pick out some ducks for DDs birthday. They only had RIR, broilers, and turkeys. The staff there were not sure what is going on for sure with the duck order so I need to call the main guy who knows tomorrow. Most of their chick bins were empty. Probably best. Although I think DH is getting as bad as I am. He suggested we get about 25 broiler chicks. I had to explain to HIM why that was not a good idea. Thankfully we left chick free!
My BIL bought a replacement incubator and set 35 eggs for a trial run. If/when they hatch in about 6 days we are going to put in some of my duck and goose eggs. Kind of excited to see what happens.
We moved the chicks outside yesterday to an unused building on the property. The ground is too wet for them still to have gone into the temporary coop they will be in for awhile. Glad I made sure to make their brooder box extra big. But depending on weather they could move in to their new digs by next week. Realistically though more like 2 or 3 weeks.

Ralphie-I am super excited to see your chicks!

 

[Minniechickmama]

well so far we have a small coop I spent almost two days painting perfectly for absolutely no sane reason since the fiance did say that it's just a coop lol but I don't think a turkey would fit in there haha so my chicks that are a few weeks old seem absolutely healthy and were no vaccinated for mereks. This lady I talked to on the phone who vaccinates all her birds seems very passionate and nice, but I did find some on fb saying the chicks they got were sick and died and not to buy from her. My feeling on the phone is though that she does do everything she can to have healthy bird. Do you think it would be risky for me to get a few chicks from her in the next couple weeks and have them with my current chicks?

Getting sick chicks I would doubt are from Mareks. Possibly cocci though. Mareks usually shows up around 8 weeks and up.

 

[Minniechickmama]

Ralphie, That rascally Bert may well have been sneaking off the feed bag and into the BOOD-Wah. If it starts looking like a mutant, giant chicken in a few days, you will know.
Seriously, congratulations!
And have fun on your daily hunt. Who said egg hunts were only for Easter? They never owned poultry!

 

[rainin22]

well wow, I just re-read my last post and all the typos make me sound crazy drunk or illiterate so I apologize. I've been sleep deprived lately!

 

[jailerjoe]

Anybody ever use Vital Pack Plus for newly hatched chicks? I just received my order of 24 chicks from Meyer's (yay!) and they included a packet of this stuff for free. It states on the package that it's for broilers and turkeys so I'm wondering if I can/should use it for my layers. The new girls (and two boys if Meyer's got it right) seem to be doing fantastic so I'm not overly eager to use the stuff.

I ordered quite a variety this year: Light Brahma's, Australorps, Black Copper Marans, German Spitzhabens, Speckled Sussex', Delaware's, Golden Laced and Columbian wyandottes, Olive eggers (didn't hatch and will come later in the month).

Anyone have any experience with the above breeds? After enduring my first winter worrying about frostbite every time the thermometer dipped below zero I went for cold hardy birds.

 

[Scott16475]

Good morning, fellow Minnesotans!

It's time for another random thought by Scott16475.

As you know, last spring was our first time raising baby chicks and once we moved them to the coop it took them a long time to learn to put themselves to bed. Each night, there I was, chasing them around and putting them into the coop. I was never so happy when they figured it out on their own. Everything I read said it takes hens approximately two weeks to figure it out. We went well past two weeks. We now have 6 new chicks and I'm wondering when the time comes to move them to the coop if they will follow the existing flock into the coop at night or whether I'll have to manually put them in each night until they figure it out...?

Please tell me they'll follow the older girls in or at the very least, tell me they will pick up on the routine much quicker....

 

[duluthralphie]

well so far we have a small coop I spent almost two days painting perfectly for absolutely no sane reason since the fiance did say that it's just a coop lol but I don't think a turkey would fit in there haha so my chicks that are a few weeks old seem absolutely healthy and were no vaccinated for mereks. This lady I talked to on the phone who vaccinates all her birds seems very passionate and nice, but I did find some on fb saying the chicks they got were sick and died and not to buy from her. My feeling on the phone is though that she does do everything she can to have healthy bird. Do you think it would be risky for me to get a few chicks from her in the next couple weeks and have them with my current chicks?

I would be leery, by that I mean I would quarantine the new chicks for a few weeks. After a few weeks mix them together. When I got Ole and Ed from EJB even though I know EJB never mentioned any problems with disease I send them into quarantine for a coupe weeks then slowly added them to the flock. I just think quarantine is a prudent safe guard no matter where the birds come from. (quarantine means just that they do not get to see, touch or talk to the other birds) and when you take care of the quarantine birds you do it last being careful to not have too much direct contact. Cleaning yourself before going back to your own flock.

You really have no idea what happened to the person on FB's chicks. It might even be something they did that killed the chicks.

Ralphie, That rascally Bert may well have been sneaking off the feed bag and into the BOOD-Wah. If it starts looking like a mutant, giant chicken in a few days, you will know.
Seriously, congratulations!
And have fun on your daily hunt. Who said egg hunts were only for Easter? They never owned poultry!

I am doubting it is Bert, I have 5 this morning and 4 are Ole colored. I think EJB got rid of his coops Player. But you are right if they start to look more like a baby duck or goose and are top heavy Bert got lucky. I cannot believe I was so stupid as to take every egg from the hidden nest and not leave ceramic ones...DUH... My faulty logic was if they don't ay here they will lay in the coop again.....(What was wrong with me, I know better) I am putting it down to a senior moment.

I have to try and watch Ethel all day and see where she is laying too, now that my DW decided I had to let her and JJ out to roam free. (of course I have to admit, I like her roaming free. Last evening I sat on the end of one of my trailers and was watching the birds, when Ethel joined me sat on my lap, cooed and fell asleep with me petting her. I have no chickens that act like pets but I have Ethel and JJ that do.

well so far we have a small coop I spent almost two days painting perfectly for absolutely no sane reason since the fiance did say that it's just a coop lol but I don't think a turkey would fit in there haha so my chicks that are a few weeks old seem absolutely healthy and were no vaccinated for mereks. This lady I talked to on the phone who vaccinates all her birds seems very passionate and nice, but I did find some on fb saying the chicks they got were sick and died and not to buy from her. My feeling on the phone is though that she does do everything she can to have healthy bird. Do you think it would be risky for me to get a few chicks from her in the next couple weeks and have them with my current chicks?

Anybody ever use Vital Pack Plus for newly hatched chicks? I just received my order of 24 chicks from Meyer's (yay!) and they included a packet of this stuff for free. It states on the package that it's for broilers and turkeys so I'm wondering if I can/should use it for my layers. The new girls (and two boys if Meyer's got it right) seem to be doing fantastic so I'm not overly eager to use the stuff.

I ordered quite a variety this year: Light Brahma's, Australorps, Black Copper Marans, German Spitzhabens, Speckled Sussex', Delaware's, Golden Laced and Columbian wyandottes, Olive eggers (didn't hatch and will come later in the month).

Anyone have any experience with the above breeds? After enduring my first winter worrying about frostbite every time the thermometer dipped below zero I went for cold hardy birds.

I doubt it would hurt a layer. Most of that stuff is just marketing to us humans some study they did probably said" if you label this for broilers" you will sell 1.09% more than if you say it is for all chickens"

I know I am a crotchety old timer but to me a bird is a bird.




Now on the hatching progress..... I have 5 birds this morning. It appears 4 of the young are Ole's they have his eyes and nose, and are his colors. One is Ernie's based on color. I am thinking my DW is going to have time figuring out which one she named "blondie" last night.

I had 19 eggs in the incubator 5 hatched, 2 have pips. the rest are doing nothing yet... The Diamond encrusted crested cream leg bar eggs (AKA creamettes) have not done anything. One of them I thought was bad when I candled, 2 looked good.) I suppose I have to wait until Sunday night to throw out the unhatched eggs.

Am I right to assume the hatch will be spread out beings some hatched so early? The ones that hatched last night will have to come out of the hatcher for water tonight? tomorrow? any thoughts...thanks